This invention relates generally to a mobile cargo container for transporting goods in an air conditioned environment and, in particular, to a modular air handling package for circulating conditioned air within such a container.
The mounting of air conditioning equipment inside a mobile container is an important consideration when attempting to maximize the load carrying capacity of the unit. Depending on the type of load normally carried, the air conditioning equipment will be either wall mounted along the front wall of the container or top mounted along the ceiling of the container. Although modular units have been devised for use in containers, these units are all limited to draw through applications wherein the blower is orientated in reference to the evaporator coil so that circulating air is drawn by the blower over the cooling surfaces of the coil. Accordingly, the number of different configurations that can be generated with draw through equipment is extremely limited.
One advantage of the draw through configuration lies in the fact that the fan deck can be arranged so that the blower will discharge conditioned air into a restricted flow zone immediately adjacent to either the front wall or top wall of the container thus minimizing the valuable cargo space needed for circulation. In light of the fact that an evaporator coil of any suitable capacity is quite a bit larger in width than the desired flow path between the container walls and the cargo, blow through applications have heretofore generally been avoided.
The handling of evaporator condensate in some blow through configurations, particularly where the coil hangs below the fan, can also be a problem.